It is somewhat ironic that the retirement of sprint king Usain Bolt has opened the door for the marathon to become, potentially, the most exciting athletics event of the next few years. The Berlin marathon, which takes place this Sunday, is being touted as the greatest marathon race ever. Eliud Kipchoge, the reigning Olympic champion, has stated that he wants the world record and, if not quite inevitable, it is certainly well within the Kenyan’s grasp.

The current record is held by Kipchoge’s compatriot, Dennis Kimetto, who ran 2 hours 2 minutes and 57 seconds in Berlin three years ago and in fact, the German capital has been something of a Holy Grail for world records, with five being set in the past decade in the men’s race.

Kipchoge has had quite a year already. In May, the 32 year-old was part of Nike’s "Breaking 2" project, which aimed to help an athlete break the 2-hour barrier for the marathon. Kipchoge came agonisingly close, finishing in 2 hours and 25 seconds, although his time was not classed as a world record as it was not run under world record conditions, with pace makers and a lead car, meaning the time would not be allowed to enter the record books. However, Kipchoge’s blistering pace – only one of his 5k splits was slower than 14 minutes 17 seconds – indicates that an official world record is imminent.

His competition in Berlin will be stiff however. Wilson Kipsang, the former world record holder and current half-marathon record holder from Kenya will be on the start line, as will Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele, who is the reigning champion and who has run the second fastest marathon in history. All too often in the marathon, the very best do not face each other regularly enough, so the fact that three true titans of the sport will go head-to-head on Sunday means that the race could be one of the most remarkable displays of distance running ever seen.

This weekend’s Berlin marathon will also be gripping as it will give a glimpse of the level Mo Farah will need to be at if he is to really contend in his new distance. Having been so dominant at 5000m and 10,000m, it seems distinctly unlikely that he will not be at least in the mix for major medals but there is quite a difference between being in the mix and winning titles.

Farah’s current marathon best time is 2 hours 8 minutes and 21 seconds, set at the London marathon in 2014. While London is not nearly as fast a course as Berlin, it is quite a jump for anyone to consider cutting six minutes from their personal best. Farah’s first marathon since his retirement from the track will be the 2018 London marathon in April and if the Brit can compete with the likes of Kipchoge for major marathon titles, the event could become even more intriguing than it currently is.

However, if Farah does succeed in improving his marathon time to such an extent that he is battling for global titles, he is unlikely to get away from the questions that have plagued his last few years.

In his twenties, Farah was an athlete whose ceiling appeared to be European titles and finals of global championships. However, his relatively late surge which saw him win the double-double at the Olympic Games, as well as his continued association with coach, Alberto Salazar who was surrounded by doping allegations, tainted Farah’s reputation severely.

In the past few years, Farah has been under more suspicion than almost any other track and field athlete in the world and there was a sense when he retired from the track that he was glad to be leaving the pressing questions behind too. However, road running is no less open to suspicion and Farah certainly has quite a way to go before he is competing with the likes of Kipchoge.

Farah, as he keeps telling us all, has never failed a drug test and in this assertion, there is no dispute. However, his improvement late in his career has flagged up serious questions and so it will be interesting to observe how much he can continue to improve into his late 30s and beyond.

Farah, it seems likely, is not moving away from the track to become an also-ran on the road. The Berlin marathon on Sunday will show him the heights he must scale if he is to add to his medal collection. And if he can manage it, the next few years could be some of the most exciting that distance running has ever seen.

AND ANOTHER THING…

The announcement earlier this week by former England international footballer Rio Ferdinand that he is to try his hand as a professional boxer is nothing short of ridiculous. The 38 year-old has admitted that he will not apply for a licence until he has a few months of training under his belt.

The former Manchester United player has denied this is purely a publicity stunt but his refusal to reveal how much he is being paid by Betfair, the gambling company that is backing him, suggests it is not an insignificant sum. Boxing is the toughest sport in the world and if it is to retain its credibility, it should refuse Ferdinand’s licence and put an end to this gimmick as soon as physically possible.